If you’re not familiar with aquaponics watch the video below to learn what an aquaponic system consists of and how it works.

For an extremely efficient and inexpensive gardening idea, check out this awesome DIY system from Morningstar Fishermen that combines aquaponic gardening with vertical gardening, using a few readily-available materials. This simple setup makes a great DIY project that just about anyone can tackle on any budget. It can be placed against the side of a house, shed, or fence as an alternative to growing food in the ground.

We have featured several vertical rain gutter gardens in previous posts, as gutters make very convenient planters that can easily be attached to a wall or hung from a balcony or overhang for instant garden containers that can be “stacked” one on top of another. This particular setup takes advantage of this idea with the added benefit of aquaponic growing, so the water and nutrients required for the plants to grow optimally are provided by a fish tank below the setup.

The system works by pumping water from a fish tank set on the ground up into the topmost gutter. The water drains through a hole in this gutter down into the gutter below it. The water flows through each gutter in this manner until it drains from the bottom gutter back into the fish tank. The cycle repeats itself continuously. These closed-loop systems use much less water than other types of gardens and the fish provide a natural fertilizer for the plants.

To build this system, you will need 3 10-foot aluminum gutters, 3 coupling adapters, a rubber hose, a fish tank, a small fountain pump, about 4 feet of PVC pipe, silicon sealer, 4-inch plastic pots for the plants, and grow medium. These materials will be sufficient to make a 3-tiered system, but this could easily be expanded to more layers if desired. The length of the hose used will depend on the height of the topmost gutter.

You will want the water to flow through the gutters in a Z pattern, so begin the installation of your system by drilling a hole in the bottom of each gutter, on the opposite side of the hole in the gutter above it. Cut the PVC pipe into lengths slightly shorter than what the distance between the gutters will be once they are on the wall. Attach the pipe lengths to the hole drilled in each of the gutters with the adapter and silicone. Once the silicone is dry, the gutters can be mounted on the wall.

Once the gutters are attached to the wall, the tank can be set up below them and the fish can be added. The hose is attached to the pump within the tank and run up to the top gutter. Next, the plants can be planted in the pots in the grow medium and placed into the gutters.

The grow medium used in this example system is a 3-to-1 ratio of coconut fiber and Biochar, though just about any lightweight medium suitable for aquaponic growing will work. Many of these materials can be found used at a reduced cost, or even for free. Gutters can often be found at used materials stores or on Craigslist. The fish tank can be made from just about anything that will safely hold fish.